wallaby

What a great group! it's all about "Fun & Games" up there. Here's the logo:

I like that a lot. The billet grille is perfectly straight, but the flat faces arent as reflective as the rounded tube. I had thought of making a grille using individual aluminum plates with rounded front edges and stacking them with shims and long through-bolts...but what you have done there is awesome. Can't wait to see it installed!

It's altogether possible that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I was trying to compare a regular grade fuel of the 70's with a regular grade fuel of the present. The octane ratings may be the same but the recipie has changed. For example, in the 70's lead was a common additive to supress the flash rate and raise the octane rating, but that isn't used in todays fuels...instead, chemicals such as ethanol are used. When comparing what is available today, Sam is correct: the higher octane fuels are harder to ignite and burn more slowly than the lower octane fuels. Here is a useful quote: "Octane ratings are not indicators of the energy content of fuels. It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn in a controlled manner, rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner. Where the octane number is raised by blending in ethanol, energy content per volume is reduced". It's a technical subject and I'm no chemist. I was just trying to suggest that vintage fuels from the 70's may have been a different animal than the fuel that's dispensed today. I still think his engine will be happier with more than 8 degrees timing.

Sure, but you have to pull the distributor and reposition where the rotor is pointing. I think todays gasolines are less volatile than the old stuff...meaning it evaporats slower and is more resistant to detonation and pinging (it also ignites slower). I guess you could say it's less explosive. The main reason is emissions related to try and keep less of it from just evaporating into the air. Because the gasoline has changed, your timing should change also. I think you will find that it really wakes up the old girl to adjust it as Bruce said, with more advance somewhere in the 10-12 degree range.

It really doesn't matter where you want to put #1 plug wire, as long as the rotor is pointed to it at TDC, and the firing order is correct. Most manuals will tell you that #1 should be in particular spot, but that's mainly so you don't have fitment issues with spark plug wire lengths. I always set mine with #1 being in the first space to the right of the vacuum can. Nice job on getting it figured out.

Yes, there are two possible connections for wires on the cap. I'm going to assume you have the power going to the correct terminal: it's the one on the right marked "BAT". First you should verify that the distributor is rotating. Remove the cap and actually watch while the engine cranks. Step 2 is to inspect the rotor: it's common for those to burn right through the center and let your spark travel to the distributor shaft instead of sending it to your wires... take the rotor off and inspect the underside. I'd guess that most likely you have a bad module in your distributor. They are easy to replace, they just held in with a couple of screws and no adjustments needed. The module senses the rotating distributor shaft and sends a signal to the coil to fire. When the module goes bad, it never tells the coil to do anything. The coil itself is not prone to failure.

Thanks for the heads-up. I just put one of these clocking starters in mine. The instructions give a very low torque setting on those bolts because they are so small. Because mine uses something like a cone to set the clocking, it was also important to tighten the bolts in stages to keep it from cocking over to one side and messing up the alignment. The instuctions also said locktite was a good idea on those fasteners (not included).

Original specs call for Dexron II. Many shift kits recommend using Type F (yep, ford fluid) for firmer shifts. The aftermarket has good fluids like the B&M trick shift mentioned or redline.

Doesn't say where it came from on the packaging. Actually, it's a very nice casting...pretty to look at anyway. I ordered the Summit brand, but what I got looks exactly like the Weiand brand pump (minus their logo). You can see in the photo that there is a support web next to the alternator bracket mounting point on top of the pump. That entire web had to be removed, as my bracket wraps around rearward from that point.

Wow, this is the kind of stuff that happens when you work late into the night. I went out this morn to remove the defective pump... not too happy about that as you can imagine. When I loosened the bolts that hold the pulley to the pump, presto! it rotates as freely as can be. OMG, I just used some bolts that were a bit too long and they bottomed out on the pump housing! No wonder it felt like broken rocks when I went to rotate it. Now I just need to retract all the bad stuff I said to Summit in my Email to them. LOL Somewhere in the bulk of this post is a lesson.

At stock ride height, the angles should be ok. It's when you raise the rear end that the angles change and cause issue. It's also possible that your angles are wrong bcause of bad bushings in the rear control arms (uppers or lowers). Because you really don't know what the problem is, I'd take the whole car into the driveline balance place and describe your problem. Let them check it out and advise you. They can check the angles and straighness and such and confirm they solved the problem with a test drive. If you simply remove the driveshaft and carry it to them, they will balance it and it may/may not correct the problem.

Does anyone here have a high volume water pump on their big block? I got the "house brand" Summit aluminum pump, and it has some fitment issues: I had to grind away some of the external webbing to allow my alternator bracket to fit, and the boss for the bolt was too long and had to be trimmed shorter. The Boss that holds the PS adjustment was threaded for a 7/16 bolt when the original was 1/2"...and it was too short and had to be shimmed with a stack of washers to hold the PS pump straight. The hose nipples at the top of the pump were at a different location, and required a custom bypass hose. To top it all off, the pump was shipped with small block gaskets and didn't come close to fitting. Some of my error is my fault: I made the required mods by cutting, grinding and filing the pump to make the bracket fit, and then upon trying to start the engine I find the pulley doesn't even rotate! I can force the pump to go around with a wrench, but it's so stiff the drive belt won't turn it. Duh! I don't recall trying to rotate the pump before I installed it. I have a claim in to Summit telling of my issue, but don't know yet how they will handle the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if the required mods have voided any waranty. It's an expensive lesson. I guess the question now is whether to buy a similar replacement and check it before making the mods, or choose a differnt brand that fits right to begin with. Anyone here have recommendations on a high-volume big-block pump that fits without issue?

The oval bushings are the same: they still have a round cross-tube and a bolt thru the center. One of the tricks for off-road vehicles is to loosen the bolts that go thru the bushings to allow more freedom of movement. It makes the suspension a bit sloppy, but lets the suspension move without binding. If the bolts are not tight, then the cross-tube DOES rotate around the bolt. If you use the book and torque the bolts to specs, the cross-tube gets squeezed and can't move. Some bushings even have a cross-tube that has serations, or "teeth" cut in the ends of the tube so they really grab on to prevent rotation when tightened.

I have a little plastic crimp tool that clamps in a vise and you insert the wire and smack it several times with a hammer. It makes a very nice looking crimp...much better than using a narrow set of crimp pliers. I just did the process of making new wires. It took a while, for sure, but mine went together just as you described with the center conductor folded back over the outside of the wire before crimping on the terminal. Boy, some silicone grease is a must to get the wire fed through the boots before you strip them. There is an outer jacket, a braided fiberglass layer, and then an inner jacket...then of course your conductor in the center. The trick is to cut through the layers without touching the inner conductor. If you can cut just beyond the fiberglass layer, bending the wire will break the inner layer and leave the conductor exposed without damage. The inner conductor should look like a pencil lead sticking out: not like a bunch of strands.

The pivot mechanism is different between stock rubber bushings and the poly bushings. The stock rubber actually flex to allow movement. Techically there are no moving parts to squeek. The poly type of bushing are too stiff to flex, and once the inner cross-tube is torqued in place, the only place for movement is for the bushing to rotate around the inner cross-tube. THAT's where the liberal grease should go: between the bushing and the cross-tube. Putting lubricant on the inside of the cross tube where the bolt passes through is of no use.

Well, you'll have some, but the more cam you put in, the more that bottom end torque will suffer. The idea of the bigger cam is to move the power band upward to perform better at higher speeds. Once the speed builds, it will pull like gangbusters, and that 3000 stall converter will give you a head start so slow speed power isn't as important. The gasoline engine has a useable power band of about 3000 rpm. You can get more, but it starts falling off. You just need to figure out which 3000 rpm you want to use: idle to 3000, 2000 to 5000, etc.

I'm trying to remember, but the labor book gives something close to 12 hrs labor to R&R the engine. That's for the guy that's done it before, has a shop, and all the required tools handy.

You say the choke is in the open position... do you need it when you start cold? I'm wondering if maybe the carb is delivering plenty of fuel already. The engine doesn't want a rich mixture when it's warmed up and maybe the pumping of the pedal on your restarts is actually causing the problem. Try your restarts without touching the gas pedal...or try with the pedal partly depressed... or with the pedal all the way down. (pick one) One of these methods might work for you. Try to avoid lifting off the pedal each time you let go of the key. These old cars require a different procedure for cold VS warm starting. Rule of thumb: the hotter the engine, the less fuel it needs.

If you go with an electric temp gauge, you also want to get the matching sending unit...they are sold as seperate items. A mechanical temp gauge comes with everything you should need all in the one package...no sending unit required. The cost is higher if you choose the electric setup because you need both thee gauge and the sending unit. You also have more wiring to hookup: there is a wire going from the gauge to the sending unit, and a wire to IGN or ACC, and a wire for the light, and probably a ground wire. The gauge will only read the temp when the key is on. A mechanical gauge will work without any electricity, just like a thermometer. It will read all the time no matter what position the key is in. The only wiring would be for the gauge light: a wire for power and a ground. The drawback to the mechanical gauge is it comes with a long capilary tube that can't be trimmed shorter or be kinked at all. The tube has a pressurized gas inside it that transfers the the information from the engine to the gauge. You can easily coil any extra length under the dash somewhere. As I mentioned before, the pipe fitting that screws into the engne is assembled as a part of the tube and has to be passed through a rather large hole in the firewall. Here is a pic of the typical mechanical setup:

The mechanical type of temp gauge can be a pain; it has a long tube with a big pipe fitting and it has to pass through the firewall. With electric gauge all you have to route are wires. Amp gauge can also be a headache. Volt gauge is easier.

Nope. They usually last the life of the engine.

Yep, that's the first place to check. The pigtail wire that goes from the positive side of the battery to this little junction block has a fusible link in it.

The castings are done and they just need to be checked. The good news? The check is in the mail! LOL!

I have the Dynomax Hemi turbos with the long case in 2-1/2". I would only imagine the 3" let more noise through. I love mine: I started with Flowmasters and even after wrapping the outside of the cases on those, I couldn't stand the resonance inside at cruise. I owned them for all of 2 weeks. The Dynomax have a more controled sound, I assume because of the packing inside. They make a noise somewhere between a glass pack and a turbo muffler, but with less sound volume..it sounds like the muffler is working hard to subdue something really healthy. Maybe it sounds like an old wooden speedboat? Perfect for our healthy "luxury" cars.

That was 1976. Just 3 years later, he was singing "Rust never sleeps". Maybe he had a Vega. LOL Happy b-day 1st Gen.